The 35 Best Gifts for Grandparents

Naadam’s The Original Cashmere Sweater is one of our picks for the best cashmere sweater because it gives you a lot for your money, including a soft and luxurious texture, a weave tight enough to keep out the wind, a classic shape that is neither too tight nor too boxy, and a huge range of colors and sizes (from XXS to XXL). And, unlike more expensive cashmere sweaters, this one doesn’t feel too precious to wear on a daily basis. Cashmere also offers a breathable, versatile warmth, and unlike bulkier wool, it folds sleek and flat, so it’s ideal for grandparents on the go.

If the grandparents you’re shopping for are chocolate lovers, they’ll appreciate these Los Angeles–made delicacies. One of our picks for the best boxed chocolates, the 18-piece Valerie Confections Baby Grand Assortment offers a fine collection for lovers of the classics, including deeply toasty almond toffee, a buttery molten caramel bonbon, and smooth, dark truffles with 72% chocolate and Scotch ganache fillings. They're all covered in a rich, silky dark chocolate. It’s a traditional box of chocolates, so the flavors aren’t wacky or overwhelming, but it’s still original enough that it doesn’t feel staid or stodgy.

Gardeners needn’t be of a certain age to appreciate the comfort of this half bench, half kneeler. Turn the Deep Seat Garden Kneeler bench side down, and you have a padded knee protector with handles for balance and hoisting. Flip it over, and it’s a comfy seat for yard-work respites. The powder-coated steel frame is rust resistant, so your gift recipient needn’t worry if it’s covered in morning dew or an unexpected summer shower.

Ask any doting grandparent: Whether they have just one or a whole brood, grandchildren expand one’s love exponentially. And that’s exactly what this unembellished Aspen + Company Tee declares, sans sentimental fuss. Both the Nana and Grandpa options come in six colors with black or white printing and a customizable exponent. The soft, lightweight cotton-and-polyester-blend tee makes a great humble-brag gift for a grandparent who still works out or hits the pickleball courts regularly.

Grandparents never tire of showing off their kids and grandkids. Make that easy by giving them the Artifact Uprising Modern Wall Calendar. We like that this customizable calendar is made from 100% recycled paper fibers, and we also appreciate that the recipient can tear off the photos along perforated edges and keep them forever (unlike with many other calendars, which end up getting chucked or stored away). And we love this calendar’s particularly sleek design, which offers customizable birthday and event reminders, as well as ample space for jotting down appointments and other important dates.

If the grandparents you love are living their best lives in the great outdoors, help them do that even better. Montem’s Ultra Strong Trekking Poles—our favorites—are also great for walks in the park. With the press of a button, your giftee can adjust their length, and they come with three different tips for use on varied terrain. These poles collapse down to 24 inches, so they easily fit in a suitcase or backpack, and they’re guaranteed to last a lifetime. Lonely Planet’s Epic Hikes of the World, which highlights 50 bucket-list routes in 30 countries, is the ultimate inspiration for staying active; if international travel isn’t in the cards, consider getting them Epic Hikes of the Americas.

Arkansas artist Stacie Bloomfield embellishes these soft, absorbent tea towels with bright, flora-and-fauna screen prints. Give your grandparents a Gingiber Tea Towel Club Subscription, and this small, woman-owned business will send them a cotton flour-sack tea towel with an exclusive design every month. They will receive their first towel within seven days and then again once a month, until you cancel. Taxes and shipping are included in the price, and Gingiber can pause delivery temporarily if necessary. If the price per towel seems a little steep, think of them as paper towel replacements—or, better yet, as usable art.

This gift takes a little more time and effort than others, but the end result is worth it for the real connection that Letters to My Grandparent can foster between grandparents and grandchildren. In this book of tear-out letters, the prompts guide you to write down memories and words of love. Seal the individual letters with the enclosed stickers and then give them to your grandparents to open at a designated time (it can be right away, for example, or after they turn 80, totally up to you). And if you think your grandparents might want to return the favor, Letters to My Grandchild could make a nice companion gift.

Qwirkle is a matching game that’s part strategy and part luck. While lots of games claim to be fun for the whole family, this one truly is. Staff writer Samantha Schoech’s family has been playing it since her kids were about 7; they are now 16, and Qwirkle still comes out on the regular. The concept is to use the Scrabble-like tiles to make runs of patterns or colors. Since it requires no math (except for keeping score) or spelling, both little ones and anyone experiencing “slower processing” can play.

Grandparents are often trying to downsize, rather than accumulating more stuff. A Kiva Card will give them the warm fuzzies without adding to their material possessions. They can help a family in Congo with school fees, for instance, or they can aid someone in Arkansas trying to buy equipment to expand their lawn-care business. Kiva works with microfinance institutions all over the world to facilitate microloans between individuals. You choose the gift card amount (starting at $25), and then your giftee can pick projects or individuals from a menu of countries and categories, including agriculture, arts, and health. The loan recipients repay in small increments, which will appear in your grandparents’ Kiva account. Once they’ve made the original loan back, they can start lending again.

For the gardening grandparent, the Qilebi Watering Can is one of our favorites for keeping plants hydrated. It’s sleek and attractive, and it holds more water—a half-gallon in total—than many other models, so your green-thumbed grandparent can take care of more plants before having to refill it. The long spout can reach the soil of even big, bushy plants, and the removable rose accessory makes it easy to gently shower a whole collection of pots at once.

If your grandparents like to admire backyard wildlife—and if they love narrating the avian comings and goings whenever you call—buy them a sturdy bird feeder to draw in more visitors. The Droll Yankees 18-inch Onyx Mixed Seed Tube Bird Feeder was the strongest and best-built bird feeder we tested, with tough metal components that secure tightly to the body of the feeder. It’s versatile enough to hold several different feed types, and it’s backed by a lifetime guarantee against the damage that pesky squirrels can do. The base is easy to take off and clean, and it has plenty of room for birds to perch. Package the feeder alongside a couple of pounds of mixed seed or sunflower seed, and let the aerial show begin.

There’s no denying that this gift is a splurge, so perhaps you can join forces with a few relatives to share the cost. If you really want to spoil your grandparents, the Osaki OS-Champ massage chair is the best we’ve ever tested. The faux-leather chair reclines until the occupant is fully supine, and its internal mechanisms massage the neck, back, and thighs. Front and side airbags inflate to apply pressure to the shoulders, arms, calves, and feet. It also has a heating function for enhanced blood flow and muscle relaxation. The Osaki chair is, well, enormous, and it will surely dominate any room it resides in. But for a household with the space—and loved ones with the budget—there’s no option that surpasses it in pampering or luxury.

The Brooklinen Pure Wool Throw Blanket is just high-end enough that your grandparents likely won’t splurge on it for themselves—which is exactly why you should get it for them. One of our favorite throw blankets, it’s available in gray or beige, so it complements any home decor. Despite being 100% wool, it is especially soft and not at all scratchy. Though this blanket is cozy and warm, it felt lighter and fluffier than other wool throws we tested.

For the grandparents whose home contains your parent’s prom outfit but lacks AC, a portable fan with a vintage look is the perfect nostalgic gift. Though its design is based on the original Vornado fan from 1945, the Vornado VFan Alchemy functions just as well as our modern top pick, powerfully moving air without making a lot of noise. And at only 9 pounds with a 12-inch-diameter body, it doesn’t take up much space on a shelf and isn’t a hassle to move around. Should your grandparents worry that companies don’t make things like they used to, note that Vornado’s five-year warranty provides reassurance.

A bathrobe is one of those items that people seldom buy for themselves but always appreciate. For the grandparent who tends to run cold—or who lives in a drafty old home—you can’t do better than this cuddly cotton option (one of the best bathrobes we tested). The Company Store’s Company Cotton Robe is made of thick absorbent terry cloth, so it’s perfect to slip on right out of the shower or bath, but it can also work as a topper over PJs for lounging. For $12 more, you can personalize the robe with a monogrammed initial, making it an extra-special gift. It comes in a wide range of women’s and men’s sizes (from XS to 2X), as well as in long or short, plus almost a dozen colors.

Due to normal physiological changes, your grandparents’ feet really do feel chillier as they age—and yours will too one day. But grandparents needn’t look schlumpy as they warm up their tootsies. The handsome Glerups Wool Slippers, our upgrade pick, are more house shoe than slipper, thanks to a smooth leather outsole and a felted-wool body. If your grandparent lives that indoor/outdoor life—puttering around the garden, walking the dog, getting the newspaper—they might appreciate the rubber-soled version instead. Both versions of the durable slippers have an open-heel design, so your gift recipient can easily glide into them without too much bending or coaxing.

Zingerman’s is a beloved Ann Arbor, Michigan, grocery whose offerings appeal to Great Lakers and coast-huggers alike. Its Weekender Gift Box (one of our favorite gift baskets) includes some of the company’s most popular items, such as sour cream coffee cake, peanut brittle, salami, and artisan bread. All of the contents have a relatively long shelf life, so if your grandparents don’t have company to help them devour it all, they won’t feel rushed to finish it off.

For the grandparents who love ice cream—or who just want to create a fun tradition for the grandkids—our top-pick self-freezing ice cream maker churns out delicious batches quickly, and it allows creators to play with new flavors and mix-ins. Of the dozens we tested, the Whynter ICM-201SB made the creamiest ice cream. It also ranked as the quietest machine, and it was the easiest to scoop from and clean. And since this is a self-refrigerating compressor machine, the grandparents you’re shopping for won’t have to deal with freezing an insert bowl or futzing with messy ice and salt.

Everything that Jasper Hill Farm sells is made at its Vermont creamery or ripened in its underground aging facility. And of all the gift baskets that our kitchen and cooking team tested, its Vermonter package offered cheeses with the best blend of complex and down-to-earth flavors, along with the very best crackers. Extras such as maple-spiced nuts add a satisfying sweet crunch to complement cheddars and goat cheeses. Each cheese comes tastefully wrapped in butcher paper, and all of the gift items arrive carefully tucked into a bed of wood shavings, so the aesthetic is appropriately rustic. The basket is available in a gluten-free version for no additional charge, but a 9-ounce bottle of maple syrup will run you an extra $16.

For the scholarly grandparents on your list (or simply for those who have exhausted all of the palatable films on Netflix), membership to MasterClass will prove to be an invaluable gift. The program offers virtual classes by famous instructors in nearly every category: physics, acting, writing, cooking, you name it. And these classes make an especially great gift when enjoyed together—perhaps you and your grandparents can create a meal together with instruction from Yotam Ottolenghi, or maybe you can take a yoga class with Donna Farhi.

If the grandparent on your list likes to settle in for the evening with a riveting episode of Downton Abbey, surely they’d fancy the streaming service BritBox. It offers the largest collection of British programming, from Masterpiece Theatre gems to contemporary classics like Gardeners’ World, plus all of the best Jane Austen adaptations. Nature lovers will appreciate the soothing range of David Attenborough–narrated documentaries.

It can be tricky to buy books for the literary grandparent in your life, especially if you don’t know what they own or have already read. But a book subscription box that sends recent releases eliminates the guesswork. One of our favorites is Book of the Month, which offers readers a choice among five hardcover books, so your gift recipient can pick exactly what they want. The volumes are always included during the month in which they’re released, and they span a range of genres to keep any reader intrigued. You can buy your grandparent a six-month gift subscription, and after that they can continue their own plan, if they choose to. Alternatively, if they would prefer something to read aloud to a young grandchild, we also love the monthly picture-book mailings from The Book Drop or Bookroo.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers left at the doorstep is the perfect gift—especially for grandparents who have everything. Flowers look lovely anywhere they’re placed, they don’t require a ton of care, and they don’t add to clutter (toss ’em once they’ve dried out). For the highest-quality and most distinctive assortments, our favorite online flower delivery service is The Bouqs Company.

This idea comes to us courtesy of senior staff writer Rachel Cericola, whose kid made one of these books as a gift for Rachel’s mother-in-law. The concept behind Knock Knock’s What I Love About books is simple: Each page has a prompt that a child fills in, including statements such as “I love how you always say __” and “You __ the best __ ever.” They’re perfect for kids who are too young to write long cards on their own, as well as for older kids who find communicating hard. (The series also includes books for moms and dads.)

Here’s the truth: Even the most tech-savvy grandparent would prefer hard-copy photos over digital sends. If you’re much more diligent with texting, the photo-subscription service NanaGram can bridge that gap. Each month (or whichever time frame you choose), you’ll get a text reminder from a unique number that the service has assigned you. Reply back with a few photos—plans currently range from $7 for three photos to $18 for 25—and the company prints and mails the pics to the address (or addresses) you have on file. Add other relatives’ digits to the account, and they can join, too. The glossy, high-quality 4-by-6 prints are ready for any fridge or frame. It’s more expensive than online photo prints, but the convenience and routine are key.

Sometimes, when it comes to choosing a great gift, you can’t beat a classic: a framed photo of you or your kids with the grandparents. To make the job easier, and to guarantee that your photo is showcased beautifully, we recommend Framebridge, which is our favorite online framing service. It’s easier to use, and it offers more-customizable products, than any other framer we tested.

Photos of grandkids are always a great gift, and that’s especially true when grandparents live far away. We highly recommend the Aura Carver, one of the best digital frames we’ve tried, to upload unlimited photos for loved ones. It has a large, bright screen for easy viewing and an intuitive interface, and the software makes setting up the frame as a gift especially simple. You can pair the device to your account (via email or by scanning a QR code on the box) and invite family members to contribute photos, all before the recipient even unwraps their gift.

If your grandparents just can’t seem to get on board with Alexa, reject the robot revolution and give them something they’ll actually use: a handsome tabletop radio. Of all the models we tested, the Sangean WR-11SE stood out for its high-quality sound and great reception. Perhaps most helpful, though, is the easy, precise tuning, as a green LED above the dial signals when the tuner is locked on to a station’s strongest signal. Smartphone-savvy folks can tap the auxiliary analog audio input, too. The walnut finish has a particularly nostalgic feel.

If the grandparent on your gift list would appreciate having an easy way to connect with loved ones, a smart display like the Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) is a great gift. At the beginning of the pandemic, senior staff writer Jackie Reeve purchased two first-generation Echo Show 8 displays so that her daughter and her mother could talk remotely. Even though they’re back to seeing each other in person, the two still use the Echo Show to speak a few times a week. While doing testing for our guide to smart displays for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, we found the Echo Show 8 to be perfect for all types of communication. The grandparent in your life can leave it plugged in on a counter or desk, and they can activate all of the features using just their voice, so video calling, messaging, and streaming are equally simple.

The Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) is one of our favorite smartwatches for iPhone owners because it easily makes and takes calls, streams music, and controls smart-home devices via Siri voice commands. But it also makes a great emergency contact system, thanks to its ability to detect falls and certain cardiac events and then automatically send for help. (And it’s far nicer looking and more affordable than a Life Alert monitor.) Just keep in mind that less-tech-savvy gift recipients may need your help setting it up. If they don’t have an iPhone to pair it with, you’ll need to buy the more expensive LTE-equipped Apple Watch (you select cellular connectivity as an upgrade option during checkout).

Vacuuming is an annoying chore, and as mobility limitations crop up, the task becomes even more loathsome. So a gizmo that can zoom around your grandparents’ floor and do the job for them is an excellent gift. We’ve spent years testing dozens of robot vacuum models, and the iRobot Roomba i4 EVO does the best job for a fair price. It’s wonderful at sucking up debris, and it has the navigational chops to avoid getting lost or stuck.

For grandparents who live somewhere with a microclimate or in a rural area where professionally monitored weather stations are scarce—or who are simply weather geeks—a personal weather station is an excellent choice. The easy-to-set-up Netatmo Weather Station is our favorite from testing. It has an intuitive mobile app and useful add-ons, such as rain and wind gauges, and it features a compact, modular design. Your weather-minded grandparent will love collecting big-picture trend data on specifics such as rainfall totals, temperature, humidity, and wind speed and direction. Earn extra points if you remember to ask them about the weather later.

Spending time together while assembling something can be especially cathartic, and a puzzle is a wonderful way for grandparents and grandkids to bond. We have plenty of puzzle recommendations, but Areaware’s Gradient Puzzle—with its many color options—offers the best combination of cheerfulness and tranquility.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter. Dorie Chevlen contributed reporting.